Obama to unveil gun proposals Wednesday
Updated: 1:35 p.m. ET
Just over a month after forming a task force aimed at reducing gun violence, President Obama will formally announce a "package of concrete proposals" for doing so tomorrow, the White House announced today.
In a White House press briefing today, spokesman Jay Carney declined to outline exactly what Mr. Obama's plan would entail, but noted that it would reflect the president's desire for a "comprehensive approach," as well as specific legislative actions he has called on before -- including reinstating the assault weapons ban, a ban on high-capacity magazine clips, and expanded background checks for gun owners.
"The president certainly hopes that out of the tragedy of Newtown we can achieve progress towards reducing gun violence in this country," Carney said. "He believes that we can no longer stand by without taking action...Achieving some of the goals that he has already set might be difficult. Because they're difficult does not mean they should not be pursued."
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Mr. Obama will also lay out executive orders related to data collection on firearms and overall gun violence, according to CBS News Chief White House correspondent Major Garrett.
At least three pro-gun control groups will attend the announcement, which will take place at 11:45 a.m. ET. Among those in the audience will be children who wrote to the president after school shootings.
In the aftermath of the December shootings, in which 20 first-graders and six adult faculty members were killed in a shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a number of pro-gun Democrats -- and even a handful of Republicans -- have shown a newfound openness to considering new restrictions on gun laws. But the opposition to such laws remains fierce from pro-gun groups and many on the right, and it's unclear if any piece of gun legislation will be able to gain traction in the Republican-led House.
Even Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., recently cast doubt on the congressional prospects of the assault weapons ban.
"Let's be realistic. In the Senate, we're going to do what we think can get through the House. And I'm not going to be going through a bunch of these gyrations just to say we've done something because if we're really legislators, the purpose of it is to pass legislation," Reid said in a recent interview. "Is it something that can pass the Senate? Maybe. Is it something that can pass the House? I doubt it."
Carney would not say if the president's plan has the support of Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, noting only that the White House would work with Congress on a legislative strategy for the president's proposals. But he dismissed the notion that historic difficulties in passing the assault weapons ban mean it would necessarily be dead on arrival, arguing that "if these things were easy they would have been achieved already."
"The fact of the matter is the president's committed to pushing these proposals. He is not naive about the challenges that exist, but he believes that, as he said yesterday, if even one child's life can be saved by the actions we take here in Washington, we must take those actions," Carney said. "We will push for things that are hard because it's the right thing to do."
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look at Syria, they are a socialist country, and they had the right to bear arms legally and illegally but now they have a civil war to throw down their dictator.
This hardly serves as a model for the "Musket over the Mantel" mythology advanced by those who claim the second amendment is about challenging the government. In the days when the second amendment was drafted, militia members often kept guns in their homes, not in an armory.
What they do accomplish is to disarm the lawful citizen and create "soft targets" for criminals who don't obey ANY laws.
The Old NRA Argument Against Regulation Misfires--
Some argue, NRA-style, that laws to "ban guns" do not work because murders continue to happen. Yet, the same argument could be used against all laws-- especially laws that are not adequately enforced. Does anyone favor dropping statutes against murder because murders continue?
What matters is reducing the chance an unstable individual will gain access to a murder weapon. Today's gun regulation does not even begin to screen out the Adam Lanzas from the majority of law-abiding gun owners. One estimate says 40 to 50 percent of gun sales go without a NICS background check.
Congressional Inaction Is a Crying Shame--
Despite public opposition to unregulated gun sales, the continuing failure of congress to pass more effective gun regulation could fill a sports stadium with innocent victims. After Columbine, Ft. Hood, Virginia Tech, Aurora and a host of other massacres, Newtown's 20 children and six adults tell us congressional indifference is killing Americans.
The tide of public opinion is definitely turning. Mayors of Boston and New York City have led a vigorous campaign for gun regulation, backed by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and the Association of National Chiefs of Police. New York state now has an assault weapon ban.
Preposterously, the NRA still claims it influences congress. Yet, an eye-opening recent study by Paul Waldman (Center for American Progress) of US house and senate races over four years-- 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010-- found many of the campaigns were funded by the NRA, but NRA support had no demonstrable impact on the vast majority of these elections.
NRA lobbying in congress against effective gun regulation does not appear to speak for even the NRA membership. Despite his campaign of fear, uncertainty and doubt against gun, NRA president Wayne LaPierre knows a recent poll of NRA members by GOP strategist Fred Luntz found most (74 percent) favor reasonable gun control measures like background checks. And 82 percent of gun owners surveyed feel the same way.
Substantial congressional support for better gun regulation already exists-- even gun advocate Sen. Joe Manchin (R, WVA) now favors appropriate gun regulation. The only task remaining is to pass such legislation.
The antiquated NICS system is long overdue for a major revision. An NICS background check may be mandatory for federal firearms licensed dealers, but even that is too often honored more in the breach than observance. Gun purchasers at some gun shows are simply not required to have a background check, and private individuals may sell to one another without the NICS background check.
The Right to Carry a Gun Is Not In Debate--
The current issue is not about the right to carry a gun, but about how easy it is for wackos to obtain an assault rifle or the equivalent of a machine pistol and ammunition without a full background check. Whether an "assault rifle" matches its military equivalent is beside the point-- any large capacity-magazine weapon can create a Newtown massacre. Call these weapons of military-grade mass destruction what we like, but keep them out of the hands of those with criminal records and/or mental problems.
The point is not difficult to understand-- guns in the hands of unstable individuals do not belong there, and for much the same reason it is illegal for felons to carry weapons-- even for "self-defense". We have had too much blood shed in this country by innocent men, women and especially children to continue to indulge NRA mythology about the second amendment.
Our constitution's second amendment was drafted and passed because framers of the constitution saw a need to defend lawfully constituted authority with militias. Shay's Rebellion, staged before the constitutional convention, and the Whiskey Rebellion afterward made clear that only a militia force could put down an insurrection and restore law and order.
This was the view of George Washington, himself, who personally led state militias against the Whiskey Rebellion insurgents. A "well-regulated militia", therefore, is an instrument of the rule of law, not a blank check for vigilantes to take the law into their own hands.
You don't infringe upon the rights of people who have done nothing wrong.
The Second Amendment to them is no holy proclamation of self-protection, but a restating of unfettered commerce for guns and ammo sales. They eagerly make a profit on every dead child and teacher from the Sandy Hook massacre.
Obama is not so responsible for increase in gun sales as is any boogeyman or strawman that the NRA and Gun Manufacturers Assoc of America feign as threatening to remove their precious toys (yes, quite like Gollum and the Ring). Obama is just the most recent excuse; there were others before and there will be others to come.
There is no 2nd Amendment impact of this regulation.
I'll tell you who -- Obama - to further his anti-gun agenda. Funny, he's surrounded by armed security. His kid's school has 11 armed guards. His entire family gets armed security for life.
But he thinks US citizens are safer without any protection. You don't see the hypocrisy in that? And yes, Obama is DIRECTLY responsible for the increase in gun sales and ammunition as people are buying up whatever they can get now because they know obama will do whatever he can to eliminate guns from society. That is his agenda. When obama, feinstein, reid, pelosi et al give up their armed protection - and obama rescinds his executive order on fast and furious, I'll put more creedence into what he's proposing. Until then I will continue to believe that he doesn't give a crap about dead children, other than his own, and has an ulterior motive.
NRA/tea party/KKK and confederate are all the same....
What a freaken moron.
Lincoln had his "Emancipation Proclamation", after all.
Smith and Wesson stock is up over 700%, and gun and ammunition sales have set records. If obama is trying to get guns off the street his rhetoric is having the exact opposite effect. But what I find hypocritical is that obama is surrounded by armed guards, his wife is surrounded by armed guards, there are 11 armed guards at the school his daughters attend, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and even valerie jarrett have armed guards. And Diane feinstein has a concealed carry permit, but none of them think American citizens should be afforded the right to bear arms as the US constitution states. When they all forego their armed security I'll believe what they are telling me.